Industrialists reluctant to invest in Odisha: Cong

A week after Odisha slipped three notches to the 14th position in Ease of Doing Business rankings, Opposition Congress today said industrialists are reluctant to invest in the state.

Although the state government claimed they have "excelled on all fronts", the large corporate houses and the MSME sectors are not satisfied with the business climate provided in the state, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik said.

"The BJD government said all facilities have been made available here to set up industries, but only half of the promoters, who have signed MoU with the state, have started work on their projects. Many industries and business houses are now in search of another option," a statement issued by Patnaik claimed.

This apart, the uncertainty over supply of raw materials also makes investors reluctant to go for "realisation of full capacity", as mentioned in the MoU, he said.

"Most of the projects are entangled in land acquisition issues. Out of 92 MoU signed two years ago, only 46 have gone for partial production, as per the government data," Patnaik stated.

On employment generation in the state, the OPCC president said the Labour Bureau Report shows that around 2.6 lakh graduates are aspiring for jobs in the state.

"The figure goes on to show the acuteness of the problem of joblessness in a state enriched with natural resources," he said.

The Congress leader asserted that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik must take immediate steps to create employment opportunities for the unemployed youth of Odisha.